Isn't She Lovely
by Twisted Schadenfreude
Summary: Following a cruel rejection of Juvia's feelings, a guilty Gray vows to turn her into a woman no man can resist. But will he find himself playing Pygmalion, or Frankenstein? (JuviaXHarem)
1. Liar, Liar

_Liar, liar, you're such a great big liar_  
_With the tallest tales that I have ever heard_  
_Fire, fire, you set my soul on fire_  
_Laughing in the corner as it burns_  
_Right between the ribs, it's sinking in_

_Oh, oh, the sirens sang so sweet_  
_And watched the sailors going down_  
_Oh, oh, you talked to me in siren song_  
_Yeah, anyone would drown_  
_Anyone would drown_

_**Liar, Liar by A Fine Frenzy** _

* * *

Let it suffice to say that Gray Fullbuster wasn't having a good day.

Following a botched mission and having to walk all the way home from Oshibana town, the ice mage felt thoroughly pissed. After walking for almost a day without any food (he had lucked out on that stream), and without any rest (he was tired as hell, but if he had any chance of making it home before he, you know, died, he'd have to keep moving).

He hadn't been on a solo mission for quite a while, as joining Team Natsu meant that he'd spend most of his time with them on duty and off. But he figured he needed some alone time every now and then, and as everyone else on the team was out, he decided to make himself busy.

It was a total disaster.

He was assigned to capture a group of bandits, but just when he had their leader cornered, the guy pulled the old 'Please don't hurt me, I have a wife and ten kids' stunt. For a fraction of a second, Gray had pitied him and lowered his guard. That's when the thug kneed him. In his manhood. The man had escaped as Gray keeled over and waited pathetically for the pain to subside.

As it was really the boss's arrest that the villagers had been paying for, they couldn't give him the entire pay. They'd offered to, poor as they were, but Gray had been too embarrassed to accept. Thus, he walked away with only half of what he was supposed to be earning.

The next big whoop was at the train station on the way home. Gray had been just about to board when a little kid with big eyes bulging out of his head and swimming in tears begged him to let him hide in a bag or something, because he had to get home to Magnolia after escaping being kidnapped.

Gray, poor sap as he was, instead offered the little boy his ticket instead, and did not notice the other little boy behind him. So the kid trotted off with an evil smile on his face that he couldn't see.

And so, feeling pretty saintly, he walked back to the counter to buy another ticket when he noticed that his wallet was gone. His wallet, which had the reward money and all the cash he had brought with him. Another slap to the face was a poster with the boys' faces on it, warning people about two little pick pocketing con artists.

He felt like breaking something, but he really didn't have the money for repairs.

So when he finally managed to push the guild doors open, he was feeling pretty cranky. He plopped onto a stool by the bar countertop and barely managed to be cordial as he asked Mira to feed him something, anything. The barmaid had at least understood how he was feeling, and was more concerned than affronted at his tone.

Natsu was a different story.

The moment he had heard Gray was back, he had bounded up to him, shouting for a duel. Gray wasn't in the mood for his shit, and froze the Dragonslayer into a block of ice. They'd have to drill about five inches in before they could actually reach him. Natsu hated being cold. Lucy screamed at him, and Wendy stared at him reproachfully. No. Her _look_ wasn't going to work on him today.

Gray was through being a nice guy. Totes.

* * *

Though the jitterbugs in her stomach made her feel rather queasy, Juvia Lockser was still rather hopeful as to how the day would turn out. Today was the day she had finally decided.

She was going to confess to him.

It had taken crying in her room, a deluge of motivational speeches from the other girls, and a rather painful epiphany for her to realize that she couldn't run away from her feelings forever. Hell, even when she did try to hide them, they always ended up blowing up in her face and humiliating her. She was eighteen years old, for crying out loud, and she needed to grow up.

The possibility that he would reject her frightened her more than words could say, and endless scenarios of it happening harangued every step she took closer to the guild. But at least, she thought, Gray would be kind enough to let her down easy. She'd walk away without her pride, for sure, but at least she would achieve the closure she had long been searching for.

And so, armed with a push-up bra and her lucky lip gloss, she walked into Fairy Tail. She caught sight of Mirajane winking at her from behind the bar, and Cana shooting her a thumbs-up. The bluenette took a deep breath, mentally steeling herself for what was to come. For him, she would strip herself bare –irony's a bitch –and put herself at her most vulnerable.

She trusted him. Even if he might not feel the same way.

There he was. Slumped over in his stool with a scowl on his face. His expression shook her resolve a little, but if she turned away now, then she probably wouldn't be able to work up the courage again for a long time. She took the seat beside him.

"G-good morning, Gray-sama!" Juvia chirped hesitantly.

"Hn."

"How was the mission?"

"Shitty."

"Oh," she faltered a bit. "You can rant about it to Juvia if you want. Or, if you don't want, then we don't. Um, well, Juvia was going to ask –no, tell you something, but if you'd rather she do it another time…"

Gray had had enough. The smallest things would piss him off at that moment, and Juvia Lockser attempting a confession was not what he was in the mood for. Sure, she was bearable, sometimes, and when she wasn't being crazy, she was a person he genuinely like hanging out with.

But he needed something to lash out at, and Juvia, always so devoted to him, was the perfect target. So he snapped at her.

"Oh, let me guess, you're going to tell me that you love me. I know that, Juvia. Everyone knows that. You aren't exactly an enigma."

Her cheeks tinged pink, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. He kept firing.

"What, you want to know if I feel the same way? Well I don't. I'm not into girls like you, whose imagination is way too active for their own good, and whose heads are too far up in the clouds to face the real world. You've never given me a reason to be attracted to you, anyway. You even invade my privacy! Yes, I know it was you who stole my favourite pair of boxers. You're a stalker, and more than once I have thought about getting a restraining order."

Juvia let out a choked sob, but this only spurred him on.

"And another thing. You get jealous so easily. Lucy, Lisanna –everyone. I'm not even interested in any of them. But you know what? Even if I was interested in someone, you would be the last person I would ever fall for!" he ended his speech with a shout. By the end of it, he was panting breathlessly.

He became conscious of the dead silence that followed. Every pair of eyes in the guild was focused on him. If looks could kill, Gray would have been shot by firing squad of fifty people. Cana had frozen, her mug still resting on her lips with its contents spilling down her chest. Mirajane looked as though she was about to faint, and Erza had dropped her own beloved cheesecake. Gajeel's posture was so rigid that Levy was worried about him starting to palpitate.

Gray tried to appease the crowd, for both their sakes. "Juvia," he started, reaching out for her. He never got the chance to finish the rest of his sentence with _I'm sorry, I lost my temper for a moment_.

She slapped him. The force caught him by surprise, and he stumbled back by inches.

The look on her face…Gray would never forget it, for as long as he lived. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks glistened with her tears. She even had a trail of snot running down her nose, and her lower lip was quivering. She retracted the hand that had struck him, and her whole body shook as she stared at him. Her mouth parted slightly, but the apology that was threatening to spill out never did. Instead, she buried her head in her hands and ran out the doors.

No one spoke for a very long time, and Gray was left awkwardly rooted at the spot.

That's when all hell broke loose.

The Iron Dragonslayer had stood up so abruptly that his chair had toppled over. "You are a dead man!" he roared from the top of his lungs. He clearly was going to murder Gray in the most painful way possible. Gray backed away from him slowly as the other man continued yelling obscenities and threats, knowing full well that he meant every word.

But one step back and he felt another aura of killer intent radiating from behind him. He spun around to see Mira's hair whipping about wildly, and a dark cloud of evil surrounding her. Erza was advancing towards him with her sword unsheathed, and even Lucy was giving him an earful.

Filled with shame and fear of dismemberment, he too made his getaway.

* * *

Disappointment.

Humiliation.

Betrayal.

Juvia couldn't bring herself to sob into her pillow, and instead sat on the edge of her bed, staring off into space. The image of his face, filled with anger, as he shouted about everything that was wrong with her at the top of his lungs was one she would carry forever. A part of her was angry at him for that blatant show of rejection –did he have to be so cruel? But the other part still felt guilty about slapping him.

She shook her head. _Juvia, get a grip_.

To think that for once, she actually believed she had a shot. She supposed now that she had misinterpreted all the time they had spent together, every nice thing he said, every grand gesture, as something more than a platonic bond. And yet it seemed they didn't even have that. She gave a shaky chuckle. At least she had gotten what she wanted. He had made everything clear.

Juvia felt sick. She just wanted to run away, even if only for a while. She didn't know why she felt the sudden urge to isolate herself from all of her friends, but she didn't want them to see her like this. She needed to be alone. She needed to find herself.

For so long, it had been Gray acting as the centre of her universe, her anchor to reality whilst being the dream she couldn't quite catch. And now that the illusion had been shattered… she felt so utterly lost.

Mechanically, she moved to her desk, and took a piece of stationary from her stack_. Dear Gray-sama_, she wrote, before crossing out the 'dear' and the 'sama.' _Juvia understands that you don't like her. Juvia is glad you were honest. But to hate Juvia for all the mistakes she made all because she believed you were the sun to a sky of endless rain… Juvia will admit she is disappointed_. Dissatisfied, she turned her hand into water, and there the paper crumpled and dissolved. She threw the remains in her trash bin.

Her eyes stung with the wetness of tears that never did spill. Her path was clear.

* * *

After three days, Gray decided to chance a return to the guild. He couldn't bear to be away for any longer, as it was more of a home that his tiny one bedroom apartment. He scheduled his arrival to the time of the day when the guild was most packed, which was between breakfast and lunch. The ice mage tried making as little noise as possible when he entered, and stayed in the safety of the corners.

He took an uninhabited table for himself, too afraid to ask for any food or drink just yet. God knows what Mirajane would do to him after his stunt with Juvia.

Gray winced upon remembering the incident. He swore to himself that he would apologize for his harsh words the moment he spotted the water mage, but would not take back his rejection. A part of him had enjoyed her affection, as it stroked his needy ego, but it was time to stop leading her on. It would be part of his apology to her, to let her be rid of her feelings for him.

He caught sight of the back of a familiar brunette head and made himself scarce, hiding himself underneath the table. Over time, he had learned that the wrath of a Fairy Tail woman was a force to be reckoned with.

Cana walked over to the bar, a worried look on her face. The barmaid wordlessly handed the woman her usual, and she wore an equally disturbed expression.

"Still no sign of her," the card mage sighed before taking a swig of her beer. "I'd like to think she's busy moving into her new apartment, but I have this bad feeling in my gut somehow."

"She didn't leave any address?" Mirajane asked, her voice laced with sisterly concern.

Cana shook her head. "She gave us her moving form and told us she found a nice place for herself. She said she would still be at the guild every day, but she needed some space. I haven't heard from her since."

"Is Gajeel still out looking for her?"

"He hasn't come back, either."

"He won't. Not until he finds her."

Gray had a hunch about who they were talking about, and it didn't sound good.

"Damn Gray," Cana muttered mutinously. His heart sank. Of course his name would be dragged into it. "When I get my hands on him, I'm going to…" She ended her sentence with violent hand gestures.

"Now Cana," Mirajane chastised, and he hoped for just a moment that someone felt a bit of pity for him. "Leave a piece for the rest of us."

No such luck. Gray was only thankful that Erza was out on another mission, and that the rest of Team Natsu was on their own adventure.

He waited until Cana was really drunk and Mirajane was in the kitchen before slinking out of the guild unnoticed.

* * *

It was exactly a week after what Gray had dubbed, "The Incident." Lucy had berated him, Cana was giving him the silent treatment, Mirajane had repeatedly sent him venomous glares and Erza…Gray was still sporting bruises. Gajeel had been held back by Levy the moment he laid eyes on the stripper, for every bit of his body language translated to "I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

Everyone had agreed that it was not so much that Gray had rejected Juvia (save for Mirajane, still bitter over the fact that her ship had sunk before her very eyes), but the harshness of his words.

Gray realized he had dropped to rock bottom when the only person willing to talk to him was Natsu. And his choice of conversation consisted solely of, "Oi, Ice Brain, I'm going to pummel you!" But Gray didn't take offense. He chalked it up to what the Dragonslayer said every day.

He headed straight for the park after a few hours at the guild to clear his mind. Originally, he had wanted a solo mission to take his mind off things, but every available flier required a minimum of two people.

Gray felt guiltier with each passing day. Juvia was his friend, despite her faults. He hadn't forgotten or the times they spent with each other, and she genuinely was nice to hang out with. She was a good listener, though he had always been under the impression that it was because she was infatuated with him.

She still hadn't been to the guild.

Gray was becoming increasingly fretful as well. And it could be his fault.

Shaking his head, he decided that the change of scenery was no help. He started for home, thinking of ways to fix his mess when he passed by a dark alley. In the shadows, something reeked of spoiled alcohol and some other rancid odour, and Gray's eyes began to water. He pinched the bridge of his nose and began to walk faster.

And yet something compelled him to investigate. Slowly, he turned around and walked towards the spot with hesitation. The stench penetrated his senses, and he felt like gagging. If it all turned out to be just a pile of rubbish, he would feel completely stupid. That's when he heard a low moan. He would know that voice anywhere.

Hoping against hope that he was wrong, he narrowed his eyes and vaguely made out the silhouette. The closer he got, the clearer his view became, and…He stopped in his tracks.

"_Juvia?_"

* * *

_**A/N**_: And I ended the first chapter with a cliffy. Because I can.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this! Just going to clarify a few things as early as now.

1. Douchebag Gray officially murdered my Gruvia shipping heart. Do I qualify as a masochist yet?

2. Yes, he inevitably will fall in love with Juvia over the course of this story. Thing is, I want to have my revenge, and by the end of it, Juvia probably won't be in love with him anymore. Yeah, you heard it right. End game pairing is still undecided. I have two endings in mind, and towards the end of my story, I will have trusted advisers give me their input as to how they think I should end it. And they aren't Fairy Tail fans, so bear in mind that they are only thinking about the plot, rather than the pairing working out.

3. This will turn out somewhat JuviaXHarem-y. I enjoyed writing about that in my other fic, The Sound of Heartbreak, so expect more guys for our lovely princess!

4. Lyon will appear a bit later in the story, but he will play an important part.

That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd love to hear what you thought about it, so any form of praise, critique, or flame will be highly appreciated!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.** _


	2. Hope for the Hopeless

_Cold in a summer breeze_  
_Yeah, you're shivering _  
_On your bended knee_  
_Still, when your heart is sore_  
_And the heavens pour_  
_Like a willow bending with the storm,_  
_You'll make it_

_Running against the wind_  
_Playing the cards you get_  
_Something is bound to give_

_There's hope for the hopeless_

_**Hope for the Hopeless by A Fine Frenzy**_

* * *

Juvia Lockser was a woman who always wanted everything prim and proper and clean. She took a bath twice a day as much as possible, and she made absolutely sure that everything around her was neat, if she could manage it. Her blue hair was always barrel ironed with not a strand out of place, and she would take notice of the smallest bit of lint on her cloak.

Gray had never understood the full extent of this part of her, but he did observe that she was always clean. He stood aghast at the sight of her looking so pathetic and disheveled.

She slumped against the wall; skin caked with grime and a bit of what looked horrendously like dried blood. Empty bottles of things that might even knock Cana out were littered around her, and she smelled like a rotting corpse. Her eyes were closed, but still looked swollen, rimmed with the crust of dried tears. Her hair looked like a bush, mangy and fly away as it was, but what bothered Gray the most was that that was the exact same outfit she had been wearing the last time he had seen her.

_How long has she been like this?_ Gray thought. Sure, he might have been annoyed at his antics and he might not have reciprocated his feelings, but he never wanted this to happen to her. She was his friend when it came down to it, and feelings of guilt crashed into him like waves on the shore.

He snapped out of his daze and hurried over to her side. His eyes began to water from the stench, but he willed himself to hold down the bile rising in his throat.

"Juvia," he said, shaking her slightly. "Juvia, wake up."

His voice roused her a bit, and her eyes opened ever so slightly. The red mocked him. She stared at him for a good number of seconds before deciding he was just another hallucination, and went back to her state of self-imposed unconsciousness.

"Gray-sama's hair, Gray-sama's eyes," she said hauntingly, her voice dead and monotonous.

"We have to get you out of here," Gray urged her.

"No matter where Juvia hides, Gray-sama's face will always haunt her," she whispered. The woman was delirious. Gray wondered how long it had been before she had had a decent meal. He wanted to waste no more time.

"Juvia wishes she never had a heart to love with. Juvia wishes she never loved you," she whimpered.

He hoisted her up and slung her arm around his shoulder, supporting her with one hand and keeping a grip on her with another. She made no effort to move, and stayed limp. Despite his pleas, Gray was still half dragging her body across the pavement. He tried switching methods, carrying her on his back, but she refused to wrap her arms around his neck. Gray managed to catch her before her head hit cement. Finally, he was reduced to carrying her body in his arms. She began flailing around, mewling in protest, but her body was too weak to resist.

She wasn't in the slightest bit heavy, and that made him worry even more. He didn't even want to think of the possibility that she hadn't had a substantial meal in more than a week.

His apartment was just one block away. He hoped that none of the other tenants saw him carrying her up the stairs, because the entire situation was just too bizarre for him to adequately explain to anyone. When he arrived in front of the building, he set Juvia down and fumbled with the first key he would have to use. _Why can't I ever get it right on the first try?_ Gray wondered.

He picked her up again and closed the door with his foot, knowing that it was locked with a resounding 'click' behind him. He stealthily made his way up the steps to the third floor. When he managed to get his own door open, he breathed a sigh in relief and pressed his forehead against the wood. _Smooth work, Fullbuster_.

He spoke too soon, though. He heard a loud thud behind him, and saw Juvia sprawled on the floor having collapsed from the sitting position he had put her in. The sound of his neighbours opening their doors threw him into another panic attack, and he made haste to collect the girl before they saw the pair.

Panting heavily, he laid the girl on his couch and sunk onto a nearby chair, cradling his head in his hands.

"Now what?" he asked aloud, speaking to no one in particular. The thought that Juvia was currently his responsibility only fully occurred to him when they stepped into his home. The problem was that he had no idea how to nurse her back to health.

He knew that the smart thing to do was call Porlyusica or Mirajane or even fucking Gajeel, for god's sake, but he was well aware of the fact that he wouldn't. Gray had a selfish side to him, and he saw this as his only chance at redemption. He hated feeling like he had wronged her –not that he would regret laying down the truth –and this was his way of making it up to her.

That is, if he didn't end up killing her first.

Food, he remembered, and bustled over to the cupboard. He barely had the patience to whip something up for himself, and so his entire pantry consisted of cup noodles. He'd never get on without membership the guild, which included discounted access to the barmaid's cooking.

After preparing a tray of hot soup and a glass of water, he walked over to Juvia and propped her head up onto a pillow. She was awake but unresponsive, staring off into space.

"Juvia, come on. We gotta get something in your stomach. It will make you feel better," Gray coaxed, holding the spoon up to her lips.

"Does a man care only when one is on her death bed?" was her reply. He snorted derisively.

"Stop being so melodramatic. You aren't going to die." _I hope_.

When she opened her mouth to speak again, he took that as a chance to tip the soup into her mouth. She sputtered as the hot temperature burnt her tongue.

"Ah, shit, sorry! What the hell was I thinking –?"

She shook her head and grabbed the glass of water, downing it in one gulp. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand before setting the cup back to the tray. She stared at his flustered face. He always did blush so easily. He was so cute. Gray was always cute. Gray was fucking gorgeous and –

_Juvia, enough of that_. _That's what got you in this mess in the first place_. She bowed her head and began to speak.

"Gray-sama…why are you doing this?" she asked, wringing her hands nervously. "Juvia thought you hated her."

_Fuck this shit, Fullbuster_. "I don't hate you."

"Really, now?" Gray blinked in surprise. When did Juvia ever give him sass? He tried to shrug it off and get to what he really wanted to talk about.

"Hey, look, let's straighten things out, okay? Hear me out," he said with an edge of desperation in his tone. "And would you mind eating your soup?"

Juvia raised her head and stared him square between the eyes, trying to read his expression for something Gray wasn't sure of. She reached for the bowl of soup and started to bring it to her lips, blowing it and taking tentative sips. The taste had awakened her human need to consume, and Juvia was but a slave to instinct again.

Gray took a deep breath. The Ice Mage, a naturally cold and distant person, was never good at expressing what he felt inside, but Juvia always needed things sketched out for her, lest she get the wrong impression. "I don't hate you," he managed to get out, and looked at her expectantly. Her expression was indifferent, and she ate her food with more enthusiasm, making a show of pretending to not be hearing him.

"I think you're a really cool person, and consider you my nakama. I'm sorry I said those things to you. I was having a really shitty day and you were the easiest person to lash out at…Ah, shit, that doesn't make it any better, does it?" he chuckled nervously. Juvia made no comment, and he cleared his throat to cover up the awkward tension.

"But anyway, even though I really regret the way I said those things, I don't regret rejecting you." _Bad choice of words, Gray. Fix it_. "No, what I mean is, I think it was for the best that I made everything clear, and…"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Juvia agrees."

"You do?"

She sighed. "Juvia's actions have gone way overboard. Gray-sama, sorry for everything. That day you told her all those things, even though they hurt, the more she thought about it she realized they were true. Invading your privacy, embarrassing you like that –Juvia promises to stop."

"Thank you, Juvia," Gray beamed. It seemed the saying 'what goes around, comes around' held true. "So truce?"

"Gray-sama, why did you wait so long before telling Juvia the truth?" she blurted out. Upon realizing what she had said, her face flushed beet red. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "No, don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. Well, to be honest, some part of me enjoyed it. I liked having someone worship me, someone who put me on a pedestal and didn't see how much of an idiot I am. It was good for my ego, and I couldn't resist having it around. That was wrong, and I feel horrible about it."

Her face fell. It seemed to him that she had been hoping for a different answer. "Juvia thought that she had a chance. All those times, was she reading something else?"

"I'm sorry, Juvia," he repeated, and he truly meant it.

She gave a watery smile. "It's alright. Juvia supposes it's time to accept the fact that no one could ever fall for her. She was arrogant enough to believe so."

"Aw, come on. That's not true. You're a really great girl. You're smart and pretty and your cooking is awesome. Any normal guy would be falling at your feet," he said encouragingly.

"Why didn't Gray-sama?"

She always managed to say the things that hit him where it hurt. He didn't know how to adequately respond to that, and frankly he was getting annoyed again at her putting him on the spot.

"The truth is, Gray-sama, guys don't fall for girls like Juvia. They like girls who are full of smiles and sunshine and know how to talk to people without creeping them out. That's why it's Mirajane, Lucy and everyone else on the cover of Sorcerer. Not Juvia. Juvia is the type of girl all the girls hate, and all the boys will never love."

And the thing that really tore at Gray's heart was the fact that he believed what she was saying. Juvia's personality wasn't one that people would naturally find cute or adorable. It would be the annoying fangirl type that everyone would mock and despise with a passion. And realistically, if Gray had never gotten to know Juvia, he knew he would probably be thinking the very same thing.

"Pants, Gray-sama," she said softly, and he cursed under his breath at the sight of his boxers. But even more than that, he was angry at something else.

He couldn't deal with this. He couldn't be the rock she needed. He thought he could be, thought he could erase his mistakes, but he was wrong. He stood up.

"We should probably get you to someone who knows what they're doing," he muttered. "Fairy Hills, then."

Her dirty hands found the hem of his shirt, and she stared up at him with desperate eyes. "Please, don't tell them what Juvia has done. She doesn't want her friends to know how weak she is. She doesn't want them to know she lied to them," she begged. "Juvia can leave and you can pretend you never found her. She'll disappear, she promises."

"We have to get you home," he said.

"Juvia doesn't have a home anymore."

It dawned to him that she was right. He had heard from Cana that she had given up the lease on her room, telling the rest that she had found her own apartment. It was obvious that Juvia did not want to answer the questions that would immediately be pressed onto her if she returned. But he couldn't let her leave, either. If she continued on her path unsupervised, there was no telling if she would survive.

He only had one option left.

"Where did you leave your stuff?" The other girls would have been suspicious if she had left without any baggage.

"Juvia packed her clothes into two suitcases. She hid them under the dumpster in that alley," she answered in confusion. "Why…?" _He isn't going to. Is he?_

"Stay here," he commanded. "Keep eating, and if you're strong enough for a bath, the shower is right beside my room. You can borrow some of my clothes, and just throw your dirty ones in the laundry machine. Leave, and I swear, I'm going to hunt you down." Gray sweatdropped at the end of his sentence. He sounded more like a kidnapper talking to his hostage than a caretaker.

"Gray-sama," she started, but he was already making his way out the door. He didn't look back.

* * *

Luckily, he had found her bags right where she said they were. Carrying both her suitcases in one hand and a plastic bag of take-out in the other, he made his way back to his apartment.

"I'm back. And I have your stuff," he called as he set her things by the sofa. He placed the food –caramade franks, his favourite –on the countertop of his kitchen, and raised his voice a little as he said her name. "Juvia? You had better still be here, or else I'm sending out a search party of annoyingly overly concerned nakama after you."

There was the sound of shuffling feet, and she timidly stepped out of his room. She was dressed in one of his shirts from when he was fourteen, and still it was too big for her. A set of his cotton shorts draped her bottom, and she had to hold on to it to keep it from falling. Normal guys would have gone into transports of delight at the sight of her, but Gray had seen his share of fine female anatomies and remained unfazed.

"Feeling better?"

"The shower helped," she mumbled. "Thank you, Gray-sama." He told her not to mention it, and headed for his bedroom to fish around for a couple of safety pins.

"Here. So you don't have to keep pulling them up." She blushed and thanked him again, folding the fabric to suit the measurement of her waist. They sat facing each other on high stools by the table in the middle of his dining room slash kitchen. She cut half a caramade frank for herself, and he had two.

"We need to figure this out," he said suddenly, gesturing to the space between them.

"Juvia will be gone in the morning."

"You going back to Fairy Hills?" Sheepishly, she shook her head in response.

"Why not?"

"It is a matter of pride. Juvia does not want them to know she was weak." Gray did not dwell on this, because he knew he would have felt the same way.

"So where are you going?"

"Juvia doesn't know," she admitted, and took a tentative bite into her bread.

He exhaled in defeat. No other way around it, then. "So you're staying here." Her head snapped up so fast that he thought she was going to break her neck. She spluttered out an incoherent refusal, but he managed to catch the words 'thank you very much' and 'but' and 'she couldn't bother you like this.' He waved her off.

"It's only temporary. Until we decide on a better option. What, you think I'm going to turn you out to the streets?" he scoffed, and was slightly hurt when she did not bother correcting him. "You're staying here."

Juvia spaced out and ran out the arguments on both sides in her head. Again and again, it seemed that staying was the more logical option, and he was insisting. But she couldn't possibly stay with him, in his home, because it hurt too much for her to spend another moment with him. It reminded her of all that she had once wanted –and who was she kidding, still wanted –but would not ever have.

"Okay," she heard herself say, and mentally berated that part of her. He nodded, satisfied. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before she let something slip.

"Juvia has always dreamed of a picture like this. Being dressed in your clothes, eating with you in your kitchen…fate's cruel like that," she laughed shakily.

"Hey now," he whispered and reached for her hand. He gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Juvia wishes she never fell in love with you," she cried softly. "Juvia wishes she never saw how wonderful you are and wanted it all to herself. Juvia just wants to want to be your friend."

"I want that too, Juvia," he said honestly, and he wanted to cry with her. They stayed like that for an hour, with her sobbing over regrets and him muttering apologies and words of consolation. Finally, when she was too tired to cry any more, he told her to get some rest. He was prepared to let her stay in his room as he made for the couch, but Juvia stopped him and insisted that he let her sleep in the couch for her own peace of mind. He indulged her, and brought a spare blanket and pillow for her to use.

She gave him a watery smile. "Juvia wishes she didn't fall in love with you, Gray-sama, but she knows exactly why she did."

And he tossed and turned in bed that night, angry at himself for not just falling in love with the kind-hearted albeit crazy girl asleep in his living room. That would have made everyone happy. But with the wisdom that the years had imparted on him, he knew that love wasn't something you could force, no matter how hard you work. Juvia was a testimony to that.

He spent his night thinking of ways to make it better, ways to make it up for her. Somehow, simply letting her room with him wasn't enough. It was the right thing to do, of course, but to him, it didn't feel like going beyond what anyone else from Fairy Tail would do. _Okay, Fullbuster, so you've lead the girl on for more than a year, and you cruelly crushed her heart into a million pieces in front of all your friends. How do you fix this? _

In his insomnia, a light bulb flickered on in his head.

* * *

Feeling the warmth of sunlight stream into his room and directly hit his face, Gray was motivated to roll out of bed. He stretched a little before heading out the door, groggily making his way out of his room and scratching his butt. Mornings were far from his favourite time of the day. His sense of hearing twitched at the sound of pans clanging in the kitchen, and he felt alarmed at the thought of an intruder before remembering that he had a guest. He shook his head. Yesterday was so surreal that he had subconsciously written it off as a dream.

His brain registered her blue hair tied up into a bun as she bustled around the stove, humming to herself merrily. Her bangs were done up in a style reminiscent of Mirajane's, and Gray was amused to find that she actually did have a relatively large forehead.

"Good morning, Gray-sama!" she said, and he was a bit shocked to see that she had recovered so quickly. He made mental notes in his head. _1) Calling me Gray-sama_.

"Someone sounds better," he commented, and she beamed at him.

"Juvia was doing a lot of thinking last night, and she came to the conclusion that she couldn't sulk around forever, could she?" she giggled. _2) Speaking in third person_.

"Anything else you realized?" he said, and she paused for a bit. _3) Fidgeting_.

"Juvia…is going to try and start giving up on Gray-sama," she said, and sobered up a bit. Gray deduced that her initial cheeriness was a sad attempt to put on a brave face. _4) Mood swings_. "It's giving everyone grief, and it's time she stopped." She handed him a plate of omelette and a cup of coffee.

"You know what, Juvia? I agree with you," he said. "I was actually thinking along the very same lines. And I have the perfect solution to help you out."

"Really?" She was genuinely surprised, and interested in what he had to say. He nodded with a smug, all knowing look on his face.

"We're going to get you another man. And we're going to make sure he loves you back." Her mouth dropped in shock, and she flushed.

"Oh, Gray-sama!" she said, completely flustered. "Juvia really appreciates this, but it isn't as easy as it sounds. Guys don't like Juvia, remember?" _5) Self-deprecation_.

"That's why I'm here. See, I'm going to be your coach. We just have to make a couple of changes, and you'll have boys eating out of the palm of your hand." He dug his fork into her omelette and closed his eyes. "This is really good." _The cooking is something we can work with_.

"Juvia doesn't really know…" she trailed off, staring into the wall.

"Please? Look, to be completely honest, I'm doing this for me too. I still feel like shit, treating you the way I did, and I want to make up for it. Please let me help you," he said earnestly.

"But Gray-sama has already done more than enough," she said, and he gave her an exasperated look.

"_Juvia._"

She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Change? She had seen thousands of magazines and articles, each with a title variation of "How to Get Men to Like You" but had strayed away, preferring to follow Mirajane's advice and 'just be yourself.' But thinking about it, just how had that strategy worked out with her. Whether she liked it or not, she would have to face reality. The world had ideals, and what people wanted were people who lived up to those ideals. It seemed she would have to let go of her fickle fantasy world where everything was right and fair if she wanted to get anywhere.

And what Gray was offering her was a chance to feel the love that she so craved for someone to give her. Try as she might, but Juvia could not shake off her desire to be with someone for the rest of her life. If there was one thing she feared more than anything else in the world, it was going back to being alone.

"You won't regret the changes, I promise. They're all for the best," he said, sticking his hand out. "Just trust me, okay? Do we have a deal?"

She sighed. It wasn't like she had anything to lose, anyway.

"Alright."

And she found herself taking his hand, sealing their oaths with a business like shake.

* * *

_**A/N:** _I'm psychic. Three days after I posted chapter one, and the fandom is crumbling over what some are calling 'The Fall of Gruvia' (so not true) because of chapter 338. Same thing actually happened when I wrote the other JuviaXHarem fic -Gray died three days after. I feel like an awesome piece of shit.

Anyway, I'm really grateful for all your reviews, you guys! I'm glad you guys liked it, so I was kind of inspired to speed up chapter two a bit. Just take note that updates probably won't be as prompt as this one ever again (oh, the woes of reality).

And I'm going to say this now: The moral of this story will be that you shouldn't change yourself just to make someone happy, as Juvia will eventually find out.

Again, thank you for all your reviews, and I hope you keep them coming! Any form of praise, critique and flame will be highly appreciated.

_PS_ Would anyone know a good beta? I'm really getting sick of being paranoid all the time and replacing each chapter once I spot a single error.

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.** _


	3. What I Wouldn't Do

_It was now and we were both in the same place  
Didn't know how to say the words  
With my heart ticking like a bomb in a birdcage  
I left before someone got hurt_

_'Cause it was what I wouldn't do  
If I had you, babe, I had you  
It was what I wouldn't do  
When I had you, babe, when I had you_

_**What I Wouldn't Do by A Fine Frenzy**_

* * *

The afternoon saw Gray's one bedroom apartment turn into a makeshift classroom. Professor Fullbuster stood in front of a whiteboard, and his pupil sat by the dining table clutching a notebook and a pen. Both had a look of utmost seriousness on their faces, and it was time to get down to business. On the board, he had scrawled in messy script 'Boys 101.'

"Alright, Juvia, so let's lay out our objectives for today. First we're going to analyse how boys think, how boys act, and what they want in a girl. You see, to capture our target, we must understand what's going on in their heads. It's like chess, in a way. Think ahead, think about what they're planning, and destroy them." He thought about it for a moment before rephrasing. "Or in this case, charm them. It's the same thing now that I think about it."

Juvia nodded her head vigorously, playing the part of an earnest student quite well. "Yes, Gray-sama-sensei!"

He stalled at the new addition to his honorific. "That's kind of weird," he sweatdropped. "Can't you just go with a simple Gray?"

"Gray-sama –Juvia means, Gray-sa…Gray-san!" she finished triumphantly. He sighed. Progress was progress. It would have to do.

"To begin with, most, if not all, guys are hard-wired to check out women. Guys have about six times more libido surging through their veins than women. It kind of impairs our impulse-control region of the brain. This pretty much explains why it looks like men are on auto-pilot when ogling women. Summing it all up, when faced with an attractive woman, most guys tend to think with their dicks," he finished eloquently. He wrote the final clause on the board for emphasis. "You got that?"

Juvia was quickly jotting down the important points. "Yes."

"Now," he continued, "how do you use this to your advantage?"

_Juvia is not ready for graded recitation! She didn't study!_ Her mind immediately raced into panic mode, and she blurted out the first thing she thought of. "Use their momentary distraction to knock them out and kidnap them, so that Juvia can create a clone of them that she will keep in her basement before releasing the original into the wild?"

Gray mentally shot himself. This was going to be a long day. "No. You charm them while they're in that vulnerable state, so if they find you attractive enough, you can bet they won't be listening to a word you say. You could tell them you used to be a man and they would still just be nodding along."

Suddenly he remembered all those times where he would find himself in the middle of the guild's floor after getting conked in a brawl. The thing that made him uneasy was the fact that he would sometimes be fully clothed when he woke up. As an afterthought, he asked her, "Did you clone me?" He sincerely dreaded her answer.

Juvia laughed. "No, of course not, Gray-sama!" she chirped, before muttering under her breath, "Not successfully." Luckily he didn't hear her, and thus pressed on with his lesson.

"Another key thing you have to know about is how testosterone affects us mentally," he said, scribbling 'testosterone' on the board as well. "Aside from being the thing that makes us seek out girls, it also has a lot to do with why we're so aggressive and possessive. That's where ego comes in."

"Guys enjoy being praised. They enjoy their pride being stroked, even if the compliment is as shallow as 'your biceps are huge.' Moreover, they enjoy hearing these kinds of things from girls."

Timidly, the pupil raised her hand. Rolling his eyes in amusement, Gray called on her.

"Um, Gray-sama? Juvia isn't sure how to put this, but ah…"

"No censorship. You can just get straight to the point. A lot of guys are actually attracted to straightforward girls."

Juvia nodded her head, though still unsure. "Well, all this just seems centred on just temporary attraction. And to be honest, what Juvia wants is actually –well, Juvia wants love. How does this grow into a long term relationship?"

He sighed dramatically as if to say that the answer was obvious. Secretly though, he was quite glad that she had asked. That was something he had thought about for a while, and wanted to put up an expert front.

"Juvia. Before you can find love, you have to give up all your fairy tale notions on it. Let's be realistic here. Before a guy can actually fall in love with a girl, he has to be attracted to her first. From the very start of their acquaintance, he has to be able to consider her as a possible mate. There'll be plenty of time to get to know each other and fall in love after their attraction has been established. Love doesn't happen in mere seconds, you know." His final sentence struck her. It was only after saying it that he realized the implications of his words.

"Juvia understands now," she said softly. Gray cleared his throat, desperate to avoid the awkwardness of another heavy conversation.

"Now, activity time," he said, abruptly standing up. "Any more questions before we begin?"

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "Where did Gray-sama's pants go?"

He looked down to find himself clad in his boxers. "Ah, shit." He located his pants a few feet away and quickly pulled them on.

"So what is the activity?"

"We are going to be flirting." He said this casually, as he walked over to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of water. After his drink, he smacked his lips frankly and gestured for her to come over.

And she swore that her heart stopped beating.

"F-f-flirting? With Gray-sama?" Her face reddened, and her mind immediately concocted a dozen fantasy scenarios which all somehow culminated in his bed.

"Yes, for practice. Or at least, a practice for the actual practice," he replied slyly. Still blushing, she cocked her head sideways with a confused look on her face.

"Actual practice?"

"Field work. Hands-on training." Her eyes widened as she finally grasped what he meant.

"Do you mean we're going to go –Juvia's going to –"

"Exactly."

* * *

She was never a fan of clubs or bars to begin with. Fairy Tail's guild hall held a special place in her heart, for however raucous the place might become, it offered a sense of home and belonging that she had yearned for her entire life. The noise was that of the laughter of familiar friends, and she welcomed that sort of thing. Anywhere else, though, and she would be walking as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

She wanted to back out the moment she had seen the wooden sign, and smelled the odour of cigarettes and alcohol. Gray had taken her to a bar bordering the next town, a place he knew had a less chance of being frequented by anyone they were close with. It worked better that way; Juvia would get used to interacting with strangers, and he was spared the embarrassment.

They stopped outside the swinging mahogany doors, cut in a way that resembled a cabinet. Before he could walk in, her arm suddenly shot out and grabbed his sleeve. The jerk cause him to stumble back a bit –thank you, inertia –and he spun around to ask her what was wrong.

Even in the darkness, he could clearly see her face was paler than usual. He noted the way that her hands shook slightly, still latched onto him.

"Gray-sama," she started breathlessly. "Juvia doesn't think she can do this."

Nerves. He should have known.

"Not with that attitude you can't," he replied. "Come on. It's just practice, there's nothing to be worried about."

"Gray-sama doesn't understand. Juvia really can't do this," she said hoarsely. Her mouth had gone dry, and all she wanted was to run back home and hide under her covers.

"And why not?" he asked her. If there was something stopping her, they might as well get to it early on. She took a deep breath.

"Juvia is afraid." She looked so comical, cowering over meeting new people that Gray would have laughed if it wouldn't have made him look like an insensitive dick. However, he took the route of a good friend and gave her words of encouragement.

"Hey. Am I speaking to Juvia Lockser, previous S-Class mage of Phantom Lord, member of Fairy Tail B, and part of the team who won the Daimatou Enbu or not? There's nothing to be afraid of. If you get rejected by the first guy you try in this bar, that shouldn't be a cause for you to give up. Hell, even if I rejected you, don't let that stop you. Just keep trying and trying, okay? That stubborn persistence of yours is bound to get you somewhere, right?" he finished, cracking a smile at the end of his good natured jibe. The corners of her lip twitched upward weakly, and she gave a nod of her head.

"That's good. Take a deep breath," he instructed, and she did as she was told. "Tonight, I'm going to be your wingman. I'm not going to let you down, and you're not going to let yourself down. Now let's do this thing."

They walked in, with her strutting in at his command, and him walking behind her. Her entrance caught some attention for about a tenth of a second, before everyone went back to what they were doing, which was either drinking or chatting up a barmaid. Juvia could sense that the plan was already starting to crash, and began to retreat, giving Gray a look of unease.

He looked around to study her competition. He could have strangled himself. Of course. How could he forget? In comparison to everyone else, Juvia was a wallflower. He sometimes wondered if she wore make up in the first place, as her pretty but plain look did not work well in that situation. All the other girls were dressed to kill, in dresses leaving little to the imagination, with their features expertly drawn out and enhanced. And poor little Juvia, still in her navy blue coat and Cossack hat, did not stand a chance.

_Next time_ he sighed mentally. Tonight, then, would be work for her people skills instead.

They found an empty table for two, and she pulled herself up on the high stool and stared at him expectantly. He scaled the floor for a good target before settling on a fairly normal looking guy about their age, perhaps a bit older. He was sipping on his drink and staring absent-mindedly into space. Or at least, he was trying to make it appear as though he was staring at nothing, when in reality, he was checking Juvia out through the reflection on his cup. Gray smirked. Perfect.

He nudged her arm with his. "You see that guy over there? The one with green hair in the leather jacket?" he asked her, with his voice dropping so that only she could hear him. Juvia looked out of the corner of her eye, and spotted him through her peripheral vision. She nodded.

"That's your target. Remember everything we practiced?" _Eye contact, but not always. Half-smiles. Touch the forearm. Laugh. Compliment him. _She nodded again. "Good. Go. Oh, and one last thing. Do your best not to speak in third person, okay?"

Hesitantly, she stepped off her seat and began walking towards the stranger. Half-way there, she paused to look over her shoulder. She saw him mouth, "I'm right here." Strengthening her resolve, determined to please the man she could not have, she leaned against the wall beside her target and gave him the sultriest look she could muster.

Turning his head slightly, the man gave her an once-over before looking forward again and placing his glass to his lips.

A little unnerved at being ignored, Juvia bit on her lower lip and cleared her throat. She would have to sacrifice her dignity. She lightly placed her hand on the man's shoulder.

"Hello," she purred. The man's eyes trailed from her hand, to her face, and back to her hand before replying coldly.

"Can I help you?"

"I think we can help each other," she said, her voice growing husky in a way she never thought possible. "Juvia Lockser."

"Erik. And I doubt it," he deadpanned in reply. Juvia winced at the rebuff. One look in her teacher's direction and Juvia knew that he was aware of her crushing defeat. She took off, retreating to the girl's bathroom to hide in shame until Gray would come to collect her.

The ice mage sighed and was left to calculate. He didn't understand what went wrong. Perhaps she had been too direct? It might have been that Juvia had accidentally chanced upon one of those types that preferred subtle and shy girls, in which case, it might have been better to tone it down a notch. But this conflicted with Gray's earlier analysis of the guy, for his personality seemed to be quite loud, if his outfit was a given.

His answer came when Juvia's former target got off his stool and began heading for the door. Before he left, he stopped in front of Gray's table and winked at him. Gray was in shock, and had no idea how to react. And it turned out, Erik wasn't even leaving in the first place.

"Hey, handsome," he said, in a manner similar to what Juvia had used on him. "Pretty sure you could do much better than blue over there. It's only men who truly understand what men want, you know what I mean?"

"Hahaha, right," Gray said awkwardly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom –alone –and, uh, bye –" And thus, Gray rushed to hide in the bathroom for a very different reason from his companion. However, in his haste, he slipped on spilled beer, and slid straight into the stall. He hit his head on the sink and fell unconscious.

* * *

She exited the bathroom after hearing angry knocking on the door. She realized that she was probably being inconsiderate, having been there for about ten minutes already. She opened it to find an annoyed looking brunette waiting outside with her arms folded over her chest. Juvia mumbled an apology before making her way back to their table.

Unfortunately for her, Gray was nowhere in sight as she returned. She didn't think he would be that much of an ass to ditch her, and so planted herself on the stool and ordered a light, fruity cocktail for herself. _He'll be back_ she told herself. She ordered another drink after finishing her first. They kept coming after that, and soon she was snoozing peacefully with her head cradled in her arms.

The bar's door swung open once again.

"Damn it," a voice muttered, and the sandy-haired man to whom it belonged trudged into the room. He appeared to have a hard time walking. His clothes were in tatters, and his skin was filled with bruises and cuts. Despite this, the women in the room eyed him coquettishly. He was indeed very attractive, and to them, the scars only enhanced his charm. He was not oblivious to their attention, and so to keep up his reputation, threw them a smooth grin.

Hibiki Lates. The ladies went wild at his smile. He recoiled as he sat down at the nearest table. A concerned barman approached him.

"Just beer. Anything strong is good. And a first aid kit if you have one, please," the mage answered after being asked what he wanted. The man nodded and went to prepare both.

He leaned into his chair and closed his eyes. The mission he had just finished was hell. Three gruelling days of fighting Legion after Legion. Perhaps it was a lapse in judgement to take a difficult solo mission after years of teaming up with the Trimen. But everyone else was simply too busy. Ren was busy slaving to the needs of his pregnant wife, and Eve had his own personal matters to attend to. Ichiya had gone off somewhere in secret, but Hibiki suspected it was to destroy the remains of his Erza shrine.

He was pulled out of his thoughts after hearing a soft whimper from beside him. He hadn't noticed that there was already someone occupying the table. He stared at the mass of blue hair. The stranger looked familiar. But then, he knew a lot of girls with blue hair in that exact same shade, so there really wasn't much to go by.

But then the figure shifted in her sleep, and once her face was in clear view even under her locks, Hiibiki recognised her instantly. Her eyes began to flutter open, and grew wide at the sight of him smiling down at her.

"H-hibiki-san?" she stammered incredulously.

"Juvia-chan," he greeted. "Looking lovely as ever, I see."

She could feel steam coming out of her ears. Not the bad kind, either. "What is Hibiki-san doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. And may I just say, falling asleep in a bar like this isn't exactly a good idea, especially for a lady as beautiful as yourself," he said, more out of concern than belittlement. Her face flushed red, but she noticed the flashes of pain on his face when he moved. Her gaze travelled to his body.

"What happened?"

He shrugged. "Rough mission." As if on cue, the barman appeared with the kit, complete with ointment and bandages. His fingers fumbled with dripping medicine onto cotton that he was supposed to rub onto his wounds, but she stopped him.

"Here, let Juvia help," she said, before taking the things out of his hands and doing them herself. She helped him roll up the torn sleeve of his button up and dabbed the green fluid onto his cuts and bruises. His jaw tightened at the stinging, but he put on a brave face.

"You're pretty good at this," he said, trying to distract himself with conversation.

"Juvia often goes on missions with Gajeel-kun, who is always very reckless," she replied.

"Is he with you now? Or are you here alone?" She shook her head.

"Juvia is with Gray-sama." She moved to bandage the other arm. He cocked an eyebrow at her answer.

"Are you two _together_ now?" At that, she gave him a melancholy smile.

"Just the opposite." She told him of her rejection, and how Gray was being nice enough to try and help her find a guy. As she recounted her tale, Hibiki's mouth began to curl into a small frown.

"He said all that?" Juvia looked down to her lap. She didn't want to make Gray out to be the bad guy here.

"Gray-sama was upset. He had just come back from a bad mission. And besides, he was right about Juvia anyway," she reasoned, doing her best to keep her voice from falling flat. Hibiki saw right through it, but decided not to push the matter. He had one last question, though.

"Are you over him?"

"Juvia is working on it." And that was the end of it. Hibiki entreated for the barman and asked for drinks for the two of them. Though Juvia tried to protest, telling him she had already had enough to drink, he cheekily replied that until she was tipsy, there was no getting out of it.

They drank the night away, laughing and telling stories like old friends. The alcohol quickly had an effect on lightweight Juvia, stripping her of her inhibitions and over-cautiousness. She spoke more freely and confidently, and Hibiki found that she became more engaging in conversation as well. The more intoxicated she became, however, Juvia's personality began to slowly shift as well. She started placing light touches on his forearm, and sat dangerously close to him. The man did not immediately notice.

"Is it true that Hibiki-san is dating Jenny Realight?" she slurred.

"Sort of," he shrugged. "It's this weird on again and off again, friends with benefits, relationship. We break up and make up again and again, but we could be having sex the entire time. Right now, though, we aren't together."

"How come –_hic_ –you keep breaking up?"

"We both have a problem with commitment. For example, I don't think she would like it if she knew I was at a suspicious pub with a beautiful woman."

Juvia giggled before asking, "Are you two –_hic_ –in love with each other?"

"Yes," he answered sincerely, without any hesitation. Touched by his honesty and straightforwardness, Juvia could not comprehend their relationship. She pouted.

"Then why do you keep letting each other go?"

"We always find our way back somehow." He paused. "She's on a date right now, though. Some male model she met at a shoot. She seemed pretty excited about it." And for the first time, he looked scared.

"Hibiki-san. I'm going to –_hic_ –kiss you if you don't stop worrying about it," she told him. He rolled his eyes, meaning it as a friendly, affectionate gesture.

"Go ahead," he said recklessly, not even dreaming that she would have the daring to do so.

Yet she quickly leaned forward and gave him a chaste peck on the lips. She pulled away before he could react, and instead beam at him victoriously. At that he burst into hearty laughter, and she joined in. Finally, his eyes travelled to the wall clock pinned to a wooden pillar.

"I'd say it's about time for me to get home. I still have a pretty good distance to cover," he said, and made to stand up. He reached into his pouch and laid some jewels on the table as payment enough for the both of them.

"Hibiki-san is drunk. Juvia would advise against it," she said. He snorted, though he was deeply moved by her concern.

"I've been through worse," he responded smoothly. Before he walked out the door, he pressed his mouth against the side of her face. "I'd like to see you again, so make sure you visit sometime. You know where to find me."

"Juvia will," she promised, and he smiled at that.

"It was a pleasure, Miss Lockser. And tell Gray that he's an idiot!" he called over his shoulder.

Juvia chortled, and continued to sip her drink. She looked around the room, wondering where in the world the ice mage could possibly be, when she spotted him resting against the bar's shaft. He was smirking at her.

_Good job, Juvia. You passed the first test. _

* * *

**_A/N: _**Hurrah, finally finished the third chapter! I only had time to work on it this week because all our classes were suspended due to extreme weather conditions, which caused flooding. On this note, I would like to tell all my readers from the Philippines that I hope they're safe, and if you were affected by the storm, I hope you recover well.

So, Hibiki is the first prong of our princess's harem. I've never written a flirtatious guy before, so I tried RPing as him to try and get his character right. I didn't want to overdo it with the compliments and everything, so I put them all in the beginning of their interaction before it grew into a more serious but friendly conversation. I'd appreciate critiques on anything, ranging from how I portray the characters to all the technical stuff.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear about your thoughts in a review. Thank you for reading!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.** _


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